Cauliflower is one of the most common vegetables. It is distinguished by an abundance of vitamins and a variety of useful substances, as well as versatility in cooking. After all, cabbage can become the basis of diet food, a delicious component of lunch or dinner, it is harvested for the winter, and it serves as one of the first foods for babies. What is the calorie content of cauliflower with various cooking methods, its beneficial properties and nutritional value?
The benefits of cauliflower
The value of cauliflower for the human body is enormous. One of the most amazing positive properties of cauliflower is the blocking of various kinds of tumors. That is, this vegetable can be used to prevent certain cancers.
B vitamins, folic acid and vitamin K in combination with fatty acids have a positive effect on the body, reducing the risk of birth defects in the fetus, preventing the formation of inflammation and normalizing the intestines. Thanks to potassium, the formation of kidney stones is excluded, dietary fiber improves digestion, and glucoraphanin protects the gastric mucosa from ulcerative tumors. In addition, the so-called curly cabbage has a chemical composition that is rapidly absorbed by the blood, which subsequently significantly increases the metabolic processes of the body. Simply put, the use of cauliflower is unlikely to harm, and its presence in the diet will have a beneficial effect on health.
Boiled cauliflower
The versatility of cauliflower lies in the fact that it can be consumed in its original form, cook, fry, pickle and so on ad infinitum. In fact, you can do almost anything with it. Of course, with different cooking methods, the calorie content of cauliflower changes. This is due to cooking time and added products. Calorie boiled cauliflower is 29 Kcal per 100 grams. This is quite a bit, so boiled cabbage is especially popular with dieters or good nutritionists. In addition, it is cooked literally 5-6 minutes, while retaining most of the useful properties. You can cook it on the stove, steamed, cook in the microwave. The latter method is the most favorable for preserving vitamins.
Thus, all vitamins and minerals remain in kale, starting from B1, B2, B3 and ending with iron, phosphorus and magnesium. All this contributes to the synthesis of proteins, the absorption of nutrients, the removal of harmful substances. With regular use of cauliflower, stress resistance increases and susceptibility to depression and apathy is reduced, and low calorie boiled cauliflower allows you to use it in any diet.
Fried cauliflower
If boiled cabbage is not to your taste, it is worth trying to fry it. In this type of preparation, it will gain a new unusual taste, while, importantly, without losing the beneficial substances contained in it. When fried, this vegetable becomes more satisfying, but no less useful, and it also fruitfully affects the body, contributing to the elimination of toxins and other processes favorable to the body. Thus, the calorie content of fried cauliflower is 120 Kcal per 100 grams of product.
When frying, cabbage gains a golden crust, protecting it from the loss of nutrients. To avoid high fat content, you can grill cabbage, although the calorie content of fried cauliflower is not so great. But still, frying gives it a new interesting taste.
Calorie Cauliflower in batter
Cauliflower in batter is very popular among gourmets. Preparing it is quite simple - just dip the inflorescences in beaten eggs before frying, to which you can add flour and salt. It is also recommended to use linseed or butter when frying, as it will be more useful and more interesting in taste, but any other will do. As a result, the calorie content of cauliflower will be about 158 Kcal per 100 grams of product. This figure may vary depending on the method and time of frying, used batter and oil. As in other cooking methods, cabbage retains most of the vitamins and minerals contained in it. But, since the vegetable is fried in oil, do not abuse it.
This dish can be served independently or included in any other. At the same time, batter can be very diverse, besides cabbage can be cooked not only on the stove, but also in the oven.
Calorie pickled cauliflower
For lovers of snacks, there is a recipe for pickled cauliflower. Marinade is made up of water, sugar and salt, after boiling vinegar is added there. The cabbage is poured with a hot marinade, covered with a lid and left to cool. Typically, carrots and garlic, peppers and bay leaves are also added to the cabbage. Pickled cabbage is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 8 days.
With this cooking method, the calorie content of cauliflower is approximately 64 Kcal per 100 grams. There are also recipes for pickled cauliflower, in which the shelf life of the product is increased, which subsequently allows you to please yourself with a healthy snack in the winter.
The nutritional value
As mentioned above, this vegetable is a very useful product, rich in a wide variety of vitamins, the nutritional value of cauliflower is very high. As for the presence of BZHU, the distribution is as follows (calculation per 100 grams of product): 3% of the daily protein intake (1.9 g), 0.3 g of fat, 2% of the daily intake of carbohydrates (5 g). Of the vitamins in cauliflower there are E and K, as well as B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B9, C. In addition, cauliflower is rich in minerals: iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, fluorine, selenium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper. On the basis of all this, the benefits of cauliflower are formed. Moreover, you can squeeze the maximum out of it in its raw form, adding it to a salad or using it yourself.
Cauliflower Selection
Having figured out the calorie content of cauliflower, its nutritional value and cooking methods, it is worth paying attention to other factors. One of the important knowledge can be the ability to choose cauliflower, because not everyone has the opportunity to grow it in their own garden. Cauliflower has green leaves below, which should be fresh and not sluggish. It is worth paying close attention to the presence of various kinds of black dots, mold, brown spots and other defects. Heads of cabbage should be dense and heavy, without signs of dryness. Store fresh cabbage in the refrigerator for a maximum of a week. Having sorted cabbage into inflorescences, it can be frozen - thus the shelf life of the vegetable will increase to six months. A carefully and correctly selected head of cauliflower will bring maximum benefit both in raw and in any other way.
Cauliflower is definitely an important product in the human diet. No wonder it is with her that the first lure begins. Thus, each of us gets acquainted with her in infancy. Cauliflower is surprisingly easy to prepare, and there are many different ways to process it, so even those who turn their nose from fresh cabbage will be able to find the option that they like.